9-year old boy cancels birthday party to have officers over for breakfast

Grayson Williamson, right, shakes hands with N.C. Highway Patrol trooper Gary Ipock on Friday morning. Williamson, 9, invited local officers to have breakfast at his house in lieu of a birthday party for himself to show his appreciation to law enforcement.

Photo by Junious Smith III / The Free Press

By Junious Smith III / Staff writer

Published: Saturday, August 16, 2014 at 07:13 PM.

Grayson Williamson is not your average 9-year-old.

The Bethel Christian School fourth-grader, instead of having a party for his birthday, had members of the law enforcement over for breakfast Friday.

Williamson, whose birthday was July 7, said he would’ve rather shown his appreciation to the officers over a party for himself this year.

“I wanted to honor them,” he said. “They help our country and I felt good that they came here.”

Grayson’s mother, Bridgett Williamson, contacted several officers on Facebook, who were treated to a spread including donuts, bacon, quiche, fruit and coffee.

“I talked to Grayson about his birthday party and he said he’d rather do this instead,” Williamson said. “Most of the ones I contacted go to our church, so we invited them and asked to bring any friends they had with them.

“Grayson has invited Jesus Christ into his life. When you think of others before yourself, it may not seem beneficial, but it is better to give than receive. It’s a great quality to have, especially at nine years old. He has a giving heart.”

The Bethel Christian School fourth-grader, instead of having a party for his birthday, had members of the law enforcement over for breakfast Friday.

Williamson, whose birthday was July 7, said he would’ve rather shown his appreciation to the officers over a party for himself this year.

“I wanted to honor them,” he said. “They help our country and I felt good that they came here.”

Grayson’s mother, Bridgett Williamson, contacted several officers on Facebook, who were treated to a spread including donuts, bacon, quiche, fruit and coffee.

“I talked to Grayson about his birthday party and he said he’d rather do this instead,” Williamson said. “Most of the ones I contacted go to our church, so we invited them and asked to bring any friends they had with them.

“Grayson has invited Jesus Christ into his life. When you think of others before yourself, it may not seem beneficial, but it is better to give than receive. It’s a great quality to have, especially at nine years old. He has a giving heart.”

N.C. Highway Patrol trooper Gary Ipock said he wanted to honor Grayson’s request by coming to the breakfast.

“I think it’s pretty neat, especially for a kid to give up his birthday party for us,” Ipock said. “It really says a lot about him.”

Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Tim Murray said it was the least the officers could do for Grayson.

“When we received the messages from his mother, we were moved and felt like we could spend some time with him,” Murray said. “Grayson is a special young man and we wanted to be a part of his celebration.”

The officers also left Grayson gifts, including patches from the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office and iTunes gift cards.

Grayson said he wanted to be a policeman when he grew up, but is considering other professions now.

“I thought about it, but after I found out you have to be pepper sprayed and tased, I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m thinking about becoming a firefighter, but since my dad is in the Army, I might be in the military.”

Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.